Day 10 winners: Congratulations to Susannah and Jordana!

Day 10 and it’s time to dip our toes in the historical waters of the Thames 🙂

My historical romantic suspense, A Dangerous Madness, is my bestselling book (although DARK HORSE is close behind) and it follows the exciting events of the investigation that takes place over the week between the time the prime minister is shot and the trial of his assassin. The story dips into the conspiracies surrounding his murder, and while I choose one possible conspiracy, I can honestly say there are PLENTY of other candidates for the job.

In A Dangerous Madness, I took a real event, used the real people involved in the crime, and only my heroine and hero and their friends are fictional, but I’ve stuck to the facts of the matter as much as possible. Do you like learning about or digging deeper into non-fiction through a fictional account, or do you prefer your fiction to not touch on actual events? (I have to also say, I include a detailed Author’s Note at the end of the book which gives readers the facts, and the few incidents I took fictional license.)

Two randomly-drawn commenters will each win an e-copy of A Dangerous Madness.

Day 9 Winner: Congratulations to Charl!

Everyone is a winner on Day 9! My friend, author Cynthia Eden, has provided a download link to a free copy of her Christmas novella: A Vampire’s Christmas Carol.

You can get your copy of A Vampire’s Christmas Carol here.

I am also going to put an e-copy of Breakeven up for grabs (or a copy of Interference & Insurgency box set or Breakaway, if you’d prefer – winner’s choice) to a lucky commenter.

Cynthia’s novella is a Christmas themed story, and I’ve written a Halloween themed novella before (Breaking Out Part 1). Do you like themed stories, and do you only read them around the time of year they are set, or are you up for them any time, like a bit of Christmas in July?

Learn more about A Vampire’s Christmas Carol and Breakeven.

Day 8 Winner: C.C. – Congratulations!

We are into week two. Onward and upward, my friends! 🙂

And speaking of friends, my good friend Claire Boston has kindly offered an ecopy of her romantic suspense novel NOTHING TO FEAR as today’s prize. Like most of Claire’s books, it’s set in Australia, hence the Aussie banner I found for today’s graphic.

I genuinely LOVE romantic suspense novels and mysteries, and have so many favorites. I always add a suspense or mystery element to my own books, whether they’re science fiction, historical or fantasy. Claire’s NOTHING TO FEAR is part of a four part series, the Blackbridge series, and we had a LOT of fun one weekend going down to the town one of the stories is set, renting a cottage by the sea, and writing (and eating! There was a lot of eating :)).

Are you a suspense or mystery lover, and what’s your favorite, or, if you can’t pick one favorite (I never can) then what’s the one that springs to mind today?

Learn more about NOTHING TO FEAR

Day 7 Winners: Congratulations to Lynda and Kareni

Day 7 and we’re a week in! The prize for today for two commenters is an ebook copy of SKY RAIDERS, the first book in my Sky Raiders series, and the winner of this year’s RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Futuristic Novel.

The image at the top of the graphic above is of the beach near where I live (and where I walk often). I’d love you to share a picture of a place you love near where you live, or if you just want to comment and say where your favorite place is near you, that works, too!

Day 6 Winners: Esther and Penny

Day 6! Welcome back, and congratulations to all our winners so far.

The prize today is two e-copies of Mistress of the Wind.

Mistress of the Wind is a book inspired by my love of fairy tales, and their historical and psychological roots. If you’re interested, I highly recommend the Jungian psychologist Marie-Louise Von Franz’s amazing work in analysing fairy tales. Mistress of the Wind is based on the Scandinavian fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and while I stuck very closely to the original, I also included some Norse mythology and tales of the wind hag that I stumbled across many years ago. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is part of the Psyche and Eros group of fairy tales, along with Beauty and the Beast.

I know most people love fairy tales, and their themes and threads run through so much literature. Which fairy tale is your favorite, and do you have a favorite retelling or incorporation?

Learn more about Mistress of the Wind.

Day 5 Winner: J.Lee – congratulations!

It’s Day 5 and my friend Shona Husk is generously contributing today’s giveaway prize. She and I have shared rooms at writing conferences, sat on writing panels together, not to mention the coffee catch-ups.

Shona is generously giving away the first book in her paranormal romance series Coven of the Raven, CURSED, to a lucky commenter to this post. The one thing I love about Shona’s books is that she always writes fresh and innovative storylines, and the Coven of the Raven series, about a coven of sexy male witches, is no different.

I love reading and writing about turning genre tropes on their heads. One author I think did this brilliantly was Terry Pratchett. What trope would you like to see turned on its head, or if you’ve read a clever take on an established trope, what was it, and did you like it?

Learn more about CURSED

Day 4 Winners: Kamron, Colleen, Karin, Kareni & Julie

For Day 4, I’ve got 5 copies of BREAKAWAY to give away 🙂

I am happy to say that I’ve just put BREAKAWAY on special offer for a few weeks, so it’s down to 99c (it’s usually $4.99) and so I’m going to give away 5 copies of BREAKAWAY today. Breakaway is the first full length book in my Verdant String series.

BREAKAWAY was a very fun book to write, and I am thrilled to share it with you!

One of the main features of the breakaway planet of Garmen, which is where all the action happens in Breakaway, is that it has a tethered way station. Science fiction writers have been writing about tethered way stations (or space elevators) at least since the 1920s, but now they look to be a serious consideration for the future of space exploration. I love it when fiction inspires reality 🙂

What is one thing you’ve read about in a book you wish could become a reality?

Congratulations to the Day 3 winner: Carol

And here we are at Day 3. Welcome back to those who participated already, and a warm welcome to those just joining in.

We are mixing things up today! My friend Lana, who I often join for writing sprints and general hanging out while writing and drinking coffee (along with fellow SFR author Anna Hackett), and who is also an amazing graphic designer who designed my Sky Raiders series covers, is offering the first book in her Game of Gods series, SOUL THING, for free to anyone who wants to sign up to her newsletter (you can unsubscribe at any time). The link to get it is here.

There is Lana’s awesome handiwork above 🙂

As an additional prize, I’ll be offering an ebook copy of SKY RAIDERS to a commenter (or if they already have it, the next book in the SKY RAIDERS trilogy they don’t have). Anyone who wants a copy of INTENDED, the prequel to the series, has to be a member of my new release notification list, and can sign up to the list in the column to the right of this post to receive their copy.

Lana’s book is an urban fantasy, which is a genre I love. If you haven’t read any urban fantasy, you’re welcome to ask for recommendations in the comments, or if you do read it, what are your favorite series?

Learn more about SOUL THING and SKY RAIDERS

Congratulations to the winners: Charl & Melissa!

We’re back for day 2!

I live in Australia, so our end of year holiday season is very different to most of my family in the UK and the USA’s. High temperatures, trips to the beach, and lots of suncream 🙂

The prize today is two ebook copies of my box set of Interference (a 25,000 word novella) and Insurgency (a 45,000 word short novel) which kicks off my new Verdant String series. I love writing series, but I also love to spread my writing wings, and my solution was the Verdant String, a universe big enough for me to write a whole lot of different stories, but all set in the same world. Breakaway and Breakeven are the first full length novels of the series, and while they can be read as standalones, they do compliment each other.

The Verdant String novel I’m working on now does follow on from what happens in Breakeven but also very much stands on its own. Those who’ve read all the books in the series might be more familiar with what’s going on in the bigger picture, but it isn’t necessary to the enjoyment of the story. While I’m a good way into the new book, I still haven’t come up with a good title, so I can’t tell you what it’s going to be called, but as soon as I know, I’ll let you know, too 🙂

The question today is about how you experience the holiday season. Cold and snow, sun and high temperatures, or something in-between?

Learn more about Interference and Insurgency

Day 1 WINNERS: Tracy W and Megan: Congratulations!

It’s the season to be jolly, and give gifts!

I’m celebrating what has been a really amazing year with 24 days of giveaways, and some of my author friends are participating, as well. Every day, I’ll be giving away either an ebook, an audio book, or some other prize, and everyone is welcome to join in. Simply comment below to automatically get your name into the draw.

The prize today is two ebook copies of my first science fiction romance novel, DARK HORSE. It took me 8 months to write and caused me a great deal of angst, as it was my first foray into the SF genre, and as an historical fiction author, I really felt I was in unchartered waters. I followed my gut, though, because I loved writing it so much, and it changed the course of my writing career.

Have you ever taken a sharp right turn in life, where you thought you were going one way, and ended up going another?

Find out more about DARK HORSE